Chu Li’s mind began to spin with thoughts as he sat on his horse.

　　He had never met the Grand General before. After all, he was just an ordinary soldier and was neither sergeant nor a centurion. He was also not a chiliarch¹ or a myriarch², so the Grand General was someone out of his reach.

　　Even if the Grand General loved his soldiers like his own children, it was impossible for him to remember an ordinary soldier like him.

　　Nonetheless, the Grand General requested to see him. Could it be because of his identity as a disciple of the Holy Church of Light, or because of the great meritorious deed he had performed by beheading Flying Cloud Cavalry’s general, Zhu Wuji?

　　As he continued to spur his horse forward, he carefully examined his surroundings.

　　The empty avenue seemed especially wide and spacious since there was barely anyone strolling around. All the houses had their doors shut tight since most civilians had left Falling Autumn and moved to the rear of the city to avoid getting killed if the enemy happened to take possession of the city.

　　Whenever war broke out, the civilians would be the ones suffering the most. Chu Li sighed to himself and felt bad for these civilians, who seemed to be utterly powerless over their own fate. They could never attain the peaceful life they desired, and the only way for them to have a better life in this world was to try their best to climb the social ladder.

　　Soon, they arrived at the Town Defense Prefecture. After dismounting his horse, he followed the sturdy-looking rider at the head of the group into the Town Defense Prefecture and came to the main hall.

　　“Grand General, Zhao Dahe from Soaring Eagle Cavalry has arrived!” the sturdy-looking rider said.

　　“Come in!” a clear voice spoke.

　　Chu Li stepped into the main hall.

　　In the northern part of the main hall, there was an elevated platform connecting to a five-step flight of stairs with a table and an armchair on top of the platform. The armchair was draped with tiger skin on which a skinny and tired-looking middle-aged man sat. The beard under his chin fluttered about while his cold, piercing eyes looked like two bright stars.

　　At the bottom of the staircase stood two protectors armed with blades. Their hands rested on the hilts of their blades while they stared at Chu Li with an intense gaze.

　　Chu Li glanced at the folding screens on either side of him and sensed four more top-notch masters hiding behind the folding screens. Judging by the towering killing intent they exuded, these were obviously martial arts masters who had been serving in the military.

　　He knew that this skinny and tired-looking man was the Grand General, Zhou Wuyang, so he gave a fist salute and bowed. “I’m Zhao Dahe. Greetings, Grand General!”

　　He never expected Zhou Wuyang to look so much like a scholar. He thought that the Grand General would be a valiant-looking and burly warrior since Zhou Wuyang was well-known for being skillful at fighting tough battles.

　　Zhou Wuyang stroked his beard and sized him up. “You’re Zhao Dahe?”

　　“Yes, I am.” Chu Li calmly nodded.

　　“You seem different from what I expected.” Zhou Wuyang continued to stroke his beard while smiling faintly. “Everyone has been describing Zhao Dahe as a violent and rude person who likes to start a fight over the smallest things. You seem dignified and well-composed unlike what the rumors claim!”

　　Chu Li gave a fist salute and replied, “Those rumors aren’t false. I used to be very bad-tempered, but I’ve decided to learn from my mistakes and turn over a new leaf!”

　　“I rarely come across people who are truly willing to change themselves for the better. You’re indeed a smart person!” Zhou Wuyang slowly nodded. “However, your eagerness to achieve quick success matches with what the rumors say about you. You wanted to perform a great meritorious deed by beheading the leader of the enemy’s troops. That idea is way too unrealistic. You were very lucky to have succeeded!”

　　Chu Li nodded.

　　Indeed, it was by luck that he had succeeded this time. After all, Flying Cloud Cavalry had underestimated their enemy, and he had taken advantage of their arrogance.

　　If the protectors of Flying Cloud Cavalry’s general had extended their area of observation and had surrounded the entire hill instead of just forming a protective circle around Zhu Wuji, it would have been almost impossible to assassinate him. The suppressive effects of the military flag would have reduced the efficacy of his light-body technique, so Zhu Wuji could have easily escaped him under such circumstances.

　　“Nonetheless, we only care about success and failure in the military,” Zhou Wuyang said. “You’ve killed Zhu Wuji, right?”

　　Chu Li removed the bundle of cloth he had tied to his waist and presented it with both hands. “This is his severed head!”

　　A protector came forward and took the bundle of cloth from him before going up the staircase to present it to Zhou Wuyang with both hands.

　　“Open it and take a look,” Zhou Wuyang instructed.

　　The protector opened the bundle of cloth, and Zhu Wuji’s face came into view.

　　“Hmm, it’s Zhu Wuji indeed.” Zhou Wuyang examined the face carefully before shaking his head and saying, “This guy was quite famous. I can’t believe he ended up dying at your hands!”

　　He sighed with emotion and stroked his beard while waving a hand in dismissal.

　　The protector tied up the bundle again, brought it down, and placed it on a table beside the staircase. Then, he returned to his original position at the bottom of the staircase and stood with his hand resting on the hilt of his blade while keeping a close eye on Chu Li in case he launched a sudden attack on the Grand General.

　　“I’ve decided to grant you the position of a centurion,” Zhou Wuyang said. “I heard about that incredibly powerful formation of yours. Where are all those soldiers from your team?”

　　“Most of them have been hunted down and killed by Flying Cloud Cavalry. Two managed to survive, but they’re severely injured. I’m not sure if they’ll be able to recover,” Chu Li replied.

　　He would wait and see if he could request for Fan Yang and Xu Cihang to be transferred out of the Sharp Vigor Battalion. If it was not possible, then he would say that they had died from their injuries later on.

　　“Ah… The achievement of a general comes at the cost of many lives.” Zhou Wuyang shook his head but did not seem to let this news weigh on his heart.

　　“Thank you, Grand General!” Chu Li gave a fist salute and secretly sighed in relief.

　　Since he had been granted this position, he would be able to leave the Sharp Vigor Battalion.

　　It might not seem like a dangerous thing for him to stay at the Sharp Vigor Battalion since Yang Ping was afraid of sending him out into the battlefield, but Yang Ping could easily change his mind at any moment. That guy was impulsive and temperamental, so it felt particularly unnerving to place his life in the hands of such a person.

　　“You’re sharp-witted and courageous. You feel no fear toward our enemy, and neither are you afraid of death,” Zhou Wuyang said. “This is precisely what the Li Dynasty’s military is lacking right now. Would you like to continue taking part in the war?”

　　He was aware of Chu Li’s identity. That was why he was asking this question.

　　A branch leader was considered to be quite a high position within the Holy Church of Light. Otherwise, Zhou Wuyang would have directly made Chu Li stay, and there would have been no need for a discussion like this. More importantly, this Zhao Dahe was a genius at cultivation and was greatly valued by the Saint of the Holy Church of Light. Zhou Wuyang did not wish to have a falling-out with the Saint.

　　Chu Li replied, “Grand General if I continue to take part in the war, will I be able to lead my own troop of men?”

　　The battlefield was a good place for him to rapidly enhance his Nature Restoration Manifestation. If it had not been for his sudden improvement in the Nature Restoration Manifestation this time, he would not have managed to fight off Monk Zhi Shan so effortlessly. Monk Zhi Shan had an exquisite body movement technique while his thoughts were unpredictable and ever-changing. Therefore, this monk was a very difficult person to deal with.

　　The quickest way for him to kill Monk Zhi Shan was by increasing his cultivation level. After all, it would be very hard for him to gain further improvement with his current cultivation level unless he received another fortuitous encounter. Thus, the quickest way was by enhancing his Nature Restoration Manifestation.

　　He was starting to gain more insight into the wonderful effects of the Nature Restoration Manifestation. Furthermore, he had thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being in complete control. This skill would certainly be of greater use to him in the future.

　　“Lead your troop…” Zhou Wuyang stroked his beard and paused to think. Eventually, he shook his head. “Although you’ve been granted the position of a centurion, I can’t let you lead a hundred men just yet. You can only carry out the responsibilities of a sergeant and will have to work your way up one step at a time… If you were to suddenly take a high position before you could learn how to lead your own troop, you would be putting your men in harm’s way. On top of that, you would be harming yourself as well!”

　　Chu Li kept a straight face and nodded.

　　Zhou Wuyang went on, “If you decide to stay, you can join the infantry and use your formation to train them. It’ll still possible for you to gain more merits!”

　　“Thank you, Grand General,” Chu Li replied and gave a fist salute. “Please allow me to give this some consideration first.”

　　“Okay. The war has already started, so this is exactly the time to contribute back to the imperial court. Consider this properly!” Zhou Wuyang stroked his beard and nodded. “Alright then. You may leave now. Your reward will be sent to you soon!”

　　Chu Li thanked him again and tactfully took his leave.

　　After leaving the Town Defense Prefecture, he knitted his brows tightly and thought, ‘Sergeant…’

　　The position of a sergeant was simply too low, and the lower his status was, the harder it was for him to remain in control of his situation. Should he stay here to improve his Nature Restoration Manifestation, or should he return to Gale City?

　　He slowly made his way back to Soaring Eagle Cavalry’s military encampment on the east side of the city. The moment he entered the encampment, he saw that Jiang Jinfu was already there waiting for him at the entrance.

　　“Hurry up and come with me!” Jiang Jinfu said impatiently while waving him over. “The general has been waiting for you!”

　　Chu Li gave a fist salute and said nothing more.

　　Jiang Jinfu could not be bothered to say anything else as well.

　　Chu Li had saved Soaring Eagle Cavalry from embarrassment and helped them avoid suffering a great defeat when he killed Zhu Wuji, so this made Jiang Jinfu very emotional back then. As his emotions subsided after the incident, his feelings of disgust and envy toward Chu Li returned.

　　He was most jealous of the fact that Chu Li had performed such a great meritorious deed. How wonderful it would be if he had been the one to gain that merit instead!